How online IOP works for Amarillo and Panhandle residents

Stages of Recovery publishes an online intensive outpatient program on its telehealth page, which is titled for Texas and Oklahoma. That page says treatment plans are individualized and include group, individual, education and family sessions, held by secure video conference and through a mobile app. You need an internet connection, a computer or tablet, and a headset.

Virtual care is only for residents of states where the program is licensed or otherwise authorized, and you need to be physically located in that state during sessions. This site is for Texas residents. Admissions confirms eligibility for your location, and whether online IOP is clinically appropriate, before you start.

How it works, step by step

1. Call admissions at (806) 412-4721 for a no-obligation conversation about your situation and where you live.
2. Assessment. Stages determines which level of care fits. If online IOP isn't the right fit, admissions can talk about other options.
3. Benefits check. Staff can check your insurance benefits, or explain self-pay options.
4. Set up your technology. A computer or tablet, a headset and a stable connection, plus the Stages mobile app.
5. Join sessions from a private space: group, individual, education and family sessions, according to your individualized plan.

Privacy during online sessions

The Stages telehealth page says no one sees you except your counselor and confidential recovery group members. Your part is to join from a room where others can't overhear, use a headset, and never record or share what other group members say.

Getting set up in the Panhandle

If your home internet is slow, test a video call at the time of day your sessions would happen. A wired connection or a spot close to the router helps. A headset keeps your sessions private if you share a house with family.

Other online programs Stages lists

The telehealth page also lists Sobriety Basics, a weekly support group focused on daily structure and goal setting in early sobriety, and Family Matters, which offers communication, coping and intervention guidance for people with a loved one who struggles with drugs or alcohol.

Call (806) 412-4721 Apply on the Stages website